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    • Fri May 22, 2009

    Using Facebook Ads for Content Awareness

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    facebook adsAds on Facebook have been around for a while now and based on reviews coming out from some users, results using facebook ads are mixed. I personally find them to be an effective and intriguing option for many small businesses.

    Here’s why

    You have a very large universe on Facebook, but you can target your ad to be shown based on the locacation, sex, age, education and keyword interests of the Facebook user, making this a potentially narrow ad buy, particularly for the local business. If you want to show your ad to business type folks only in Denver, CO, so be it.

    Some detractors claim that Facebook ads don’t convert to sales, but I would suggest that is the wrong way to think about and use this tool. Think of your Facebook ads, or ads in any social media space, as content that is intended to create further awareness about more content. See, Facebook ads don’t have to link out to your sales page, they can be associated with content right there on Facebook. For instance if you use the events application to promote an event you are hosting, such as a webinar, you can associate ads with that event and drive targeted people to find out about or even directly RSVP to your event on Facebook. Same is true for the video application. Use Facebook ads to drive people to a video on Facebook that gives great content and invites them to learn more at your primary web hub.

    You can also tightly integrate your ad campaigns with the largely revamped fan or business pages options to create outposts for your fan pages and invite narrowly defined target audiences to become a fan on Facebook.

    When you use these internal ad plays, your ads, complete with social features, become more like tiny bites of content instead of sales pitches and help prospective customers get to know, like and trust you a bit more before you ever ask for business.

    Facebook allows you to buy your ads on a Cost per click or cost per thousand impressions basis and provides decent real-time reporting so you can adjust your ads as needed.

    If you already have a Facebook profile and/or fan page you can start running ads today from the Facebook Ads page

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    Posted by: John Jantsch on May 22, 09 | 5:05 am
    Category: Social Media | Tags: , , ,

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    • Thanks for the heads up. I am also optimizing my marketing site on Central Ohio and I found advertising on Facebook an effective way to promote my business.

      Reggie Ike
    • I like this strategy and have used the LinkedIn ad option. I think it can become more targeted and people are more engaged as a result of being on the site versus during search.

      By the way John, I think your information is getting better and better as time goes on! And what a great variety of information!
    • EH
      A lot of people have been hesitant about using Facebook ads because of low ROI. However, you are right. It's not always about getting directly to your sales page. It can lead them to your Facebook page or event as part of a greater effort in marketing. With the ability to target your ads to select demographics, Facebook ads are becoming a better and better tool for marketers. Thanks for the post John.
    • DarrenScottMonroe
      That's an interesting Idea John. I have actually sold ads on my niche sites on the concept of the branding as well. What about getting them to sign up for your RSS feed? or join you in social media? indirect places to sell but still may get more people active.
    • I was skeptical about ads on Facebook for several reasons. However, the way you described it, it really isn't like "ads" for the sake of sales or leads, but rather passing on information, somewhat of a service if you will. I like the idea of spreading the word around, piquing the interest in some who will eventually seek you out for further information. You are right, they will trust you more if they learn about you and your idea without a blatant sales pitch. Excellent paradigm shift, never would have thought of "ads" in that manner before. :) thanks.
    • Great post. Definitely a different way to approach the Facebook ad buy - refreshing to see a strategy that focuses on linking to and providing content that is of value than straight to a sale, as it is not always about an immediate sale, but building relationships.
    • Jennifer, of course I've used Facebook as the platform here but I like this approach for all small business advertising.
    • Interesting. I would not have thought of Facebook for ad spends (I have a different perception of Facebook ... yes I know over 200 million users worldwide ... but my teenage kids share their social lives on Facebook ... sounds like a mis-fit for small business) but I'm willing to learn and try it out - so I can recommend, or not, to my clients. Thanks John.
    • Blake Tobias
      That is a very smart way to think of the platform of "ad's" however, i am wondering can we really trust all of those "ad's?" Most of them are always asking for a zip-code, phone number, or any other form of contacting you. I have been going through the "ad's" on Facebook and i have found in a search of only 10, 7 of them asked for a zip-code as soon as you got to the sight. (Ex. "iPhone Testers Wanted) How many teenagers out there are typing in that information, while floating in their minds "WOAH DUDES! IM GANA GET AN iPhone AND SHOW IT OFF TO ALL MY FRIENDS!!" They question i am asking is what is happening to all of that information that i being put into those sights? Do the people who put the "ad's" on Facebook really send you the product? Do they use your information to blackmail you, other forms of theft, or any other things that can cause you to lose money?

      If so, would somebody respond to this comment i have written and tell me the answers to those questions...

      Thank's
      Blake Tobias
    • Thanks for the helpful info. I experimented with a low-budget Facebook ad for one month and blogged about my experience. You can read about my results here.
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